Iron and Ink
by KatasaurusRex
Summary: When Nick Fury sends Iron Man to collect a young woman from a tattoo parlor, Tony can't help but be intrigued. What could this average girl named "Bella Swan" possibly do that gained the interest of S.H.I.E.L.D?
1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark groaned as his drunken pass-out was interrupted by the rather loud ringing of his cell phone.

"Jarvis? Ignore." He instructed, trying to unravel himself from the tangle of hair from his previous night's entertainment.

"It's Director Fury, sir." Jarvis responded. Tony wished not for the first time that he could punch Jarvis in the face. Why had he re-programmed the A.I after the events of Ultron anyway? Oh yeah, because he was a helpless workaholic who couldn't remember to eat, let alone screen his own calls.

The ringing tone continued and Tony rolled his eyes like a petulant child before leaning over to his bedside table to grab his Bluetooth. He popped a few Tylenol to try to control his oncoming headache (hangover?) before tapping the little button.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" He growled out, barely batting an eye as a very nude, very curvy young woman slid out of his bed. Ever since Pepper had left him, he'd been drowning in liquor and women. Mainly liquor. Tony's unwillingness to give up being a "super hero" had caused Pepper to walk out of his life. It made working at Stark Industries somewhat awkward, but even they could see that their failed relationship was no reason to ruin their professional lives. Still, Pepper's loss cut Tony deep. She told him she could accept him, but not Iron Man.. They were one in the same.

"It's almost noon, Stark. I need you to go run a pick-up for me." Fury's voice cut through his brain like a knife through butter. Tony nodded towards the now dressed female as she slid out of his room, knowing Jarvis would tell him if anything was amiss afterward.

"A pick-up? I'm Iron Man, not your go-for."

"Dammit Stark, this woman is a top priority of S.H.I.E.L.D right now. She's been under the radar since she was 18, but recent events have brought her to our attention. I attempted to send Barton after her but he was unsuccessful. I need someone charming. I need you."

Ah but Fury sure knew how to stroke Tony's feathers.

"Send me the details." Tony tapped the button again to end the call and made his way to the shower. Stripping down, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly this girl had done to warrant him having to go get her. How had she slipped past Barton?

Cautious eyes looked up and down the street of a quiet little neighborhood. Ever since a visit from an "agent" she had been overly cautious. Isabella "Bella" Swan stepped out of her new one-bedroom rental home and carefully made her way to her new car. She sighed as she opened the door and folded herself inside, missing her old truck. However, she had to run and her old truck had been a dead giveaway. She'd known for years someone would eventually come for her. Ever since that day...

 _Edward and the other Cullens had planned the wedding in Italy. The Volturi leaders had demanded witness to the union. They had smoothed her feathers and those of her family by taking on the "small expense" of having everyone flown there. The Volturi palace was a beautiful setting and her parents had been charmed. The Pack had been furious for her walking into there unprotected, but had left her to her own devices._

 _When the music had started up, Bella had placed a shaky hand on her father's arm. Everyone knew this wasn't what she wanted, but she had no choice. The night before leaving for Italy, she had confessed everything to her parents with the help of The Pack and Billy Black. They had been furious, worried and adamant that Bella run._

 _Running wasn't an option. Bella had made her bed and for the most part, she was prepared to lie in it._

 _However, halfway down the aisle everything fell apart. The first spray of blood, her mother's blood, splashed across her beautiful white dress. Charlie had quickly turned and ran with her as the others feasted on the human buffet that had basically been provided. That was the day she learned of her father's power.. Of her power._

 _Charlie Swan was not human. His real name was Cheirlos. He was from a realm not of Earth called Alfheim, the realm of the Light Elves. During a war between them and the Dark Elves of_ _Svartalfheim,_ _Bella's mother had been taken from them. With her last words, she had made her mate promise to protect their beautiful Isalabel. And so, Cheirlos had begged for assistance and had taken his beautiful daughter to Midgard – Earth. He spelled his features and those of his young daughter to those of the humans and had charmed a young woman named Renee into believing she had a daughter with him. As Renee had no family to speak of and was a loner, the charm was easy and had taken without fault. He adopted the human name Charles "Charlie" Swan. Isabella Marie Swan was created in the world of Midgard and no one was the wiser._

 _Edward Cullen had left a bad taste in his mouth and the day of the wedding, he knew why. Vampires. The death of his former wife caused a sort of sorrow in him, but his daughter was his first priority. He knew this trauma could destroy the bind he had on her elven powers so he had to keep his word to his Aiofe, he had to protect their daughter._

 _As they made their way back to America, he told his daughter of their lineage. As he feared, her powers began to manifest and so once they were able to land back in Washington, he made plans to train her. They had to always be moving, always be on guard._

"Now here I am three years later with weird powers, a father I can't see and people chasing after me. I had been so careful!"

Bella's main and most beautiful power was the ability to manifest creations – cartoons, chalk drawings, tattoos, etc. It was helpful in the beginning of their running to be able to have her 'breathe life' into a photograph of them to lead their pursuers away.

She pulled around behind a brick building and fluffed out her dyed-black hair before stepping out. She had to keep up appearances of her new persona. She had adopted the name of Ivey Ink and had generated a lot of interest in a small shop in the middle of town. Hiding in plain sight, Bella became very popular in the last month. She was almost grateful to that "agent" who had exposed her. Getting tattoos on her body (a defense tactic) had been amazing therapy and she herself loved giving that experience back to her clients.

She glared at the jingle that signaled her entry into the shop and tossed her coat on the standing rack. Tasker, her beer-bellied thirty-something boss, looked up from the appointment book on the counter and raised his eyebrows.

"Morning Ivey. You've got a walk-in."

Bella froze, "I don't do walk-ins. That was the deal."

Tasker smirked, "Turn around and you'll want this chunk-a change."

She glanced at the waiting area that she had previously ignored and her eyes widened behind her dark sunglasses that she had yet to remove. "Tony Stark?"

The gorgeous man stood up and basically glided his way over and offered a hand, "That's my name. You Ivey?"

She nodded, somewhat speechless before placing her hand in his. However, his firm grasp instantly left her with a bad feeling. Their eyes met and her stomach flipped. "Let's go chat about what you can do for me."


	2. Chapter 2

Tony smirked to himself as he watched the woman in front of him internally freak out. He had read over the file (after hacking in to the S.H.I.E.L.D database for the 100th or so time now) on this 'Ivey' girl and knew now exactly why they wanted her. Fury could have simply told him he was picking up a twenty-one year old female with the ability to make something out of doodles.

"Let's.. Go back to my studio, Mr. Stark." She ground out, practically ripping her hand out of his. Tony nodded to the guy at the front and followed behind the young woman. He appreciated her appearance as he walked behind her. She was as tall as him but she was wearing boots that gave her somewhat of a boost. Curvy, but very fit. He found himself drawn to the sway of her hips. Her hair looked soft and he knew if she took it down from that ponytail style it would probably brush over the top of the lower-back tattoo he saw peeking out from the patch of skin between her tee and her skin-tight jeans. He found her attractive, not that it was hard for him to appreciate the female form.

She motioned him into a room and closed the door. He counted mentally in his head.

"May I ask what your business is here, Mister Stark? You don't expect me to believe that Tony Stark just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to walk in to a hole-in-the-wall shop like this."

Tony nodded and leaned against one of the counters, "You're right, Miss Swan. That's right. I know who and what you are. I also gather you may know why I'm here, you just want the satisfaction of hearing me say it."

Her eyes burned into his and he raised his eyebrows in challenge.

"With all due respect, get out."

"I'm sure your boss would love for me to walk out there and tell him you refused me, a billionaire client, any service I may ask for."

Bella clenched her fist, "I gave one agent the slip. What makes you think I can't run from you as well? I've become quite good at it."

He smirked, "You're a smart girl. Surely you understand I'm a genius and have familiarized myself with these abilities you have. I know your weakness."

Tony watched as fear and sorrow flashed through her eyes before the walls went back up, "You're despicable. I've made it clear I'm not interested."

"I'm just here to collect you. You can come willingly, or I can get the suit and make you come."

A smirk graced her lips, "You think you can make me come quietly?"

"Oh I don't expect anything about this situation to be quiet. I'm sure you'll be loud. In fact, I'm counting on it."

They glanced at the door as heavy footsteps approached the door and she cleared her throat, "Are you able to get a tattoo, Mister Stark? I need to be aware with any health risks involving your..."

He nodded quietly in understanding, "Yes. The Arc Reactor in my chest will not cause any problems in getting a tattoo. It controls my heart, not anything else."

"Okay so what exactly are you looking at and where?"

Bella's heartbeat quickened as Tony removed his shirt. She was fascinated by the glowing metal in his chest as well as by his highly attractive body. She wasn't made of stone. Even though she was quite literally half his age, Stark was a panty-dropper.

"I was thinking of Memento Mori around the reactor. It means-"

"It means Remember You Can Die" she whispered, pulling up her shirt a bit to show the same words across her ribs, "I'm aware.."

They stared at each other for a few moments before he straightened, clapping his hands, "Right. How long do you need to set up? I'm dying for a coffee."

She opened the door and motioned him back out, "Give me about an hour and we can start. See you soon, Mister Stark."

He turned and winked, "Call me Tony."

Bella glanced up from her laptop as Tony leaned against her doorframe, "I didn't honestly expect you to be back for the ink."

"To be honest, I didn't plan on letting you stab me about a million times in the chest. However, the die has been cast."

She flicked her fingers towards the table and Tony was slightly intrigued by her icy demeanor, "Lay back and make yourself comfortable. I'm just finishing up a few things before I touch you."

He hopped up on the table, drumming his fingers along the leather, "I've never been one to enjoy pain. I think this will be the last virginity I will ever lose."

When she didn't react, he frowned. He thought they had gotten along well earlier. Had that all been an act or had something happened in the hour he had been gone? He glanced at the instruments laid out on her table and shrugged before stretching out on the table. The leather was cold against his flesh and he actually found a sense of excitement.

She remained silent as she closed her laptop and rolled back a bit before standing. He raised an eyebrow as she changed her hair up into one of those messy buns girls have a habit of wearing. She also removed her long sleeved shirt in favor of a black tank top. He started trying to make a mental catalog of the ink she had on her skin. It could always be used against him later. However, she was also very enticing and the innuendos from earlier had him fighting his flirtatious instincts. This woman was going to stab him after all.

She raised an eyebrow as she stood over him, "Do you wax or are you naturally hairless?"

Tony barked out a laugh, "I'm all natural."

She rolled her eyes and applied the stencil before asking him to approve the placement. He nodded, still curious about her demeanor and laid back down. He felt a jolt of nerves as he heard the start-up of the tattoo machine and took a deep breath.

He had to admit, there wasn't really any pain. Be it because of dead nerves or what, he found the process enjoyable. He wondered if this would spark an ink addiction of his own.

The process was quick since he was only getting lettering and before he knew it, she was covering his chest as best as she could and rattling off care instructions. He slid his shirt on and sat up, glancing at her.

"I know this isn't an easy situation."

She glared over at him, "You don't know anything about it."

"I do actually. I read your file and I can see you now. You don't understand exactly how long they've been watching you. Sure, you flew under the radar but when they want you then they want you."

"And then they send Iron Man like a fucking collection agent."

"I don't appreciate the venom you put forth when saying that name."

"I don't appreciate being hunted."

He nodded and placed a random number of bills down, not caring what they were. He stepped close to her and almost groaned at her warmth. He kept his voice low, "I know where to find you. I'll be by this evening. Be ready."

He heard her breath hitch but from sorrow or arousal he wasn't sure. She nodded and he walked out, waving casually at the guy at the front.

Bella glanced down at the cash, noticing he left about a grand on the table. She gave Tasker his cut and pocketed the rest. Not that it would matter how much money she had now. She would be kept in a guilded cage.


End file.
